Chapter 24

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

The faucet in the narrow bathroom couldn't be shut tightly, and the continuous noise was especially loud in the deep of night.

Xi Yu disliked the suspicious smell of the bed, only took a cold shower, and sat on the floor, half-asleep and half-awake, accompanied by the dripping sound.

The sudden drop in temperature during the cold night felt like a death knell, and even shallow breaths formed white mist.

Fortunately, as a synthetic human, Xi Yu's physical condition was exceptionally good. The strength digitized in the game was enough to withstand the already sub-zero harsh night.

At first, everything was very quiet.

Since there was no clock in the room, it was guessed that it was around 9 p.m. when some unsettling noises finally came from the hallway.

It sounded like countless insects were crawling from all directions, accompanied by the faint noises of chewing and colliding, lasting for about half an hour.

Xi Yu became fully awake, his nerves tense, ready to deal with any sudden changes.

Unexpectedly, just as he was concentrating, the strange sounds gradually faded like a receding tide, and the wooden door was then knocked on urgently and loudly.

The soundproofing in this place couldn't be very good, but there was no noise from the other players.

Xi Yu calmed himself, raised his voice, and asked, "Who is it?"

"I'm the night watchman of the guesthouse, here to check on your safety." A strange, muffled male voice answered clearly: "The army ants have retreated, are you okay?"

How many NPCs are hidden in this guesthouse? There's even a night watchman?

Xi Yu wasn't planning to open the door casually. He cautiously responded, "I'm fine, I've already gone to sleep."

There was a moment of silence outside the door.

The night watchman finally replied, "Then, sweet dreams."

At this point, Xi Yu had quietly crouched by the wooden door, trying to listen and see if he would go disturb the other players.

Unfortunately, he did not. The restless night then fell into complete silence.

By now, the uncertainty of not knowing what to play grew stronger, and how to face tomorrow remained unknown.Apart from the metal plate engraved with rules that must be searched for, there is no other purpose.

Xi Yu returned to the bedside, inevitably feeling a hint of regret.

Perhaps he should have been bolder and met this late-night visitor?

With this hesitation, he finally fell into a shadowy sleep.

In the morning, Xi Yu was awoken by the overwhelming smell of fishiness, unable to stop himself from coughing and covering his nose.

Aunt Qing, who opened the door, looked embarrassed: "Sorry, the army ants came through, and there’s quite a bit of their acid liquid left in the guesthouse. I haven't wiped it all clean yet."

Xi Yu, tired, stood up: "What time is it?"

Aunt Qing smiled: "It's six o'clock. Tour guide Xu said we should leave after breakfast, so hurry up and wash your face."

Xi Yu didn’t say anything, nodded silently, and quickly went to wash his face.

Although the entire process took less than five minutes, by the time he came out, the hallway was already spotless, and Aunt Qing had disappeared.

At this moment, just next door, Qian Lu also peeked her head out. She suspiciously looked around, completely ignoring Xi Yu, and hurried upstairs alone.

Xi Yu shrugged indifferently, just about to head to the living room when his eyes caught something strange: there were small purple flowers stuck to the doors of the five guest rooms, and red scorpion wind chimes were hung up, looking particularly eye-catching in the dim, old underground passage. These decorations weren’t there yesterday.

Curiously, he reached out and touched them. The wind chimes made a pleasant jingling sound, and nothing seemed unusual.

The underground guesthouse never had sunlight, even in the early hours of the day.

The players gathered again in the dimly lit living room, facing the absurd and terrifying food once more.

Zhou Fangfang, who was easily frightened, held a spoon, her face pale: "Did you guys hear any sounds last night…?"

Zhao Zhusheng and Qian Lu remained silent, as if they had already forgotten the girl’s generous sharing of the rules.

Fortunately, Wu Zhi, as straightforward as ever, answered generously: "I heard the sound of ten thousand cockroaches passing by in the hallway."

The others, already feeling nauseous: "..."

"Also, a night watchman uncle asked me if I slept well." Wu Zhi turned to the server, Lin Ye, who was wiping the table: "Do you have night watchmen here too?"Lin Ye was genuinely surprised: "No, the store manager is responsible for everyone's safety. Did you have a dream, guest?"

Wu Zhi's expression changed: "No way, there was really a night watchman knocking on my door."

Xi Yu calmly spoke: "Yes, I heard it too."

Zhou Fangfang: "I also..."

Zhao Zhusheng tried not to look at the food on the table, focusing on the wall as he chewed and swallowed with difficulty. He gave a light laugh and said, "Looks like everyone's experience is the same. Could it be the routine of a shady place?"

"There really isn’t a night watchman," Lin Ye explained with some frustration. "The guesthouse is that small. How could there be an extra person here for no reason?"

"Maybe it's something unclean," Aunt Qing, who had finished cleaning, came in holding Alian and said seriously in a low voice, "This guesthouse wasn’t originally the store manager's. It was run by another group before, but the army ants caused chaos, and I heard that everyone was bitten to death inside. It wasn't until a week later that the delivery guy found them. The whole place reeked of death, but only scattered bones could be found. The store manager got the place cheap, taking it over for a very low rent."

"This is like something from the Dragon Gate Inn," Wu Zhi said, sweating nervously. "Good thing I didn't open the door."

Aunt Qing sighed: "The New Wild Desert is a good place, but it's rare for people to come because those army ants are everywhere."

Xi Yu listened half-believingly to the legends until he saw Manager Lily walking out from the staff living area next to the living room. He then pretended to care: "Are you alright? If the army ants come, you can call us for help."

Lily's arm was wrapped in a bloodstained bandage, but her cute and peculiar face still had a cat-like expression. "No need. Those things are too much for you to handle."

"How did you get rid of the ants? I didn't hear any gunshots," Xi Yu asked suspiciously.

Lily hummed: "That's a business secret."

Saying this, she actually limped over to the player's breakfast table, took out a stack of exquisite cards from her pocket, and with a tiger-tooth smile said, "Now, let me see everyone's fortune for today with a little divination."

Qian Lu nervously asked, "What are you doing? Who asked you to do divination?"

"This is a custom in the Wasteland City, don't make a big deal out of it," Lily huffed proudly, showing the faces of the cards in her hand, all of which were blank. She said proudly, "These divination cards have magic power. Watch carefully."

Now, not only were the players watching intently, but even NPCs at the table next door gathered around, hands clasped together in earnest anticipation.

Lily laid the cards flat on the table, softly saying: "Almighty god, please guide our path today, and you shall have our eternal devotion and trust."

These words sounded a bit ridiculous to the streamers, and Wu Zhi almost couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

Lily shot him an angry glare, then closed her eyes, placing her hand on the cards.In an instant, a card seemed to be lifted by an invisible hand and was directly placed into Lily’s hand.

Lily slyly took a peek, then showed it to everyone: on the previously blank card, a treasure chest appeared, with blood-like G letters beside it, and a small line of text below: [Who will seize the unexpected fortune?]

Wu Zhi commented, “Manager, are you a con artist?”

“Mind your own mouth,” Lily said angrily, “This is divine guidance, telling us there’s financial luck today. Believe it or not.”

Wu Zhi rolled his eyes.

This part certainly wasn’t as simple as the NPC made it sound. Aside from the missing rules, it was the most noteworthy thing so far.

Xi Yu was thoughtfully pondering when he accidentally made eye contact with Zhao Zhusheng.

Zhao Zhusheng smiled, showing his teeth, looking kind and harmless.

At that moment, Xu Lei had already prepared her tour guide equipment, clapped her hands, and said, “It’s time to set off. Today, I will take you to tour the maze caves on the eastern side of the Gobi Desert. Legend has it that they were used by ancient people to store treasures and confuse outsiders. So the result of the store manager’s divination is very likely to happen.”

The plot gradually connected, and most of the normal players were eager to try.

However, Qian Lu resisted, “Can we not go? I want to rest in the room.”

Xu Lei responded generously, “Of course, but you’ve worked so hard to get here. Don’t you feel regretful missing the charming scenery?”

Qian Lu muttered, “I just have a bad feeling about going out. I’m not going.”

“What the hell?” Wu Zhi stood up impatiently, “Let’s go then.”

Xi Yu and the others nodded. Xu Lei blew a whistle in her hand and instructed, “The maze caves are a real maze. You must stick close to me. If you get lost, just follow the sound of the whistle to find me. Don’t worry, I’ll bring you back safely.”

Lily yawned and walked back to the counter. “Don’t listen to her exaggerating. I’ve been there over a hundred times. It’s just some boring broken dirt walls.”

Xu Lei glanced at the girl with a headache, sighed, and said, “Alright, seeing is believing. Let’s go.”

And so, they set off along the long Gobi road.

To be honest, this place did have a grand beauty that belonged to nature, but unfortunately, no one was interested in appreciating it.

Xu Lei was still responsible, talking non-stop with her megaphone along the way, discussing everything from the folklore of the Wasteland City to ancient battles in the Gobi Desert. It wasn’t until the cold, weak sun rose overhead that she happily pointed ahead and said, “We’re almost there!”Zhou Fangfang, who was the weakest physically, answered breathlessly, “What exactly are we doing? I’d rather be finding rules with Qian Lu back at the guesthouse.”

“The system says the rules are hidden both inside and outside the guesthouse, so they should also be in the Gobi Desert,” Xi Yu said, taking a step toward the faint maze ruins. “There shouldn’t be any pointless events.”

Wu Zhi wiped sweat off with his jacket, “But I’m so exhausted I feel like throwing up.”

“We’ve only walked about seven or eight kilometers,” Xi Yu answered calmly. “I think it’s your mind that’s restless.”

“Yeah, but after spending so much effort, the maze must be interesting,” Zhao Zhusheng said with a smile. “Let’s speed up.”

In fact, the legendary maze caves were just as Lily had complained about – they seemed to be nothing more than a dilapidated ruin hidden in a low mountain. After walking through several twists and turns, everyone felt that the path was repetitive and boring.

Luckily, the system didn’t give them any chance for dissatisfaction this time. A deep, sudden notification echoed from the depths of the cave.

【In the center of the maze, there is a demon’s treasure.】

【First come, first served within half an hour.】

Although the game was supposed to rank players based on their scores, up until that moment, none of the players knew how to earn a higher score.

Once the message was announced, it was like an injection of excitement. Zhao Zhusheng, who seemed cultured and composed, immediately smiled and without any warning, he bypassed Xu Lei and rushed ahead, disappearing down the path.

After a moment of stunned silence, Zhou Fangfang turned around and nervously called out, “W-What’s going on?”

Xi Yu and Wu Zhi looked toward the sound and saw that the previously ordinary walls of the cave seemed to come alive. They were changing at a considerable speed, and the entrance they had just passed quickly disappeared, replaced by a new one.

Tour guide Xu Lei was completely unaffected, but she hurriedly shouted in the direction Zhao Zhusheng had gone, “Hey, come back! Didn’t we agree not to run off?”

The half-hour window for the opportunity was fleeting, and Xi Yu took a deep breath, saying, “Follow me.”

He then took long strides forward.

Wu Zhi and Zhou Fangfang exchanged glances, quickly following his swift movements, and they began to run wildly through the living maze.

Until now, Xi Yu still clearly remembered something the system of Blood-colored Demon Sword had once said: Interesting rules are the soul of the game.

This must have been the concept of the game designers at Haishi Entertainment.

So, whether it was the background of the guesthouse game or just this maze cave, it certainly concealed patterns.Otherwise, blindly pushing the streamers into a dead-end with no direction is completely unwatchable!

In fact, Xi Yu's thinking was very correct.

Just after finishing training and sitting in the dormitory eating a nutritious meal, Luo Xi was looking at the live broadcast projection showing the answer to the audience: the maze was a complete circle. Not very big, but it was divided from the center into a small circle and two rings surrounding it. These three parts were rotating in different directions and speeds, causing the streamers inside to become more and more confused the more they moved.

The four streamers entering the maze were displayed as small red dots on the map. Xi Yu’s group formed a cluster, while Zhao Zhusheng was swiftly moving alone, running through the maze aimlessly.

Luo Xi watched with his chopsticks for a while, then, based on experience, realized that Xi Yu had already noticed something. That little streamer was moving slowly but steadily towards the treasure at the center.

...Surprisingly good sense of space.

Luo Xi hummed, then continued eating his meal.

Inside the maze, Wu Zhi, who was "wandering" with Xi Yu, had completely lost track of the situation.

He was dragging the nearly exhausted Zhou Fangfang, panting and asking, "Bro, you’re not just wandering around, are you?"

Xi Yu replied, "I’m not wandering. This maze is just a few rotating platforms, with one full circle every three minutes. I’m looking at the path that leads towards the center."

"Looks like Qian Lu was right," Zhou Fangfang said in surprise. "You know so much."

"Spatial logic can be trained," Xi Yu replied calmly. "If we’re lucky enough to return to Yuntai, you can practice more."

"Mm..." Wu Zhi looked uneasy when suddenly, a group of large ants swiftly crawled out from a narrow passage behind Zhou Fangfang!

His scalp tingled, and he quickly pulled the girl away, shouting, "Be careful!"

These ants were each about half a person tall, resembling ferocious insects magically enlarged. Their limbs were tough, and their mouths, constantly oozing acidic liquid, along with their developed mandibles, were disgusting and terrifying!

Xi Yu's face changed slightly, "Escape towards the east; we should be close! I’ll be there in a second!"

Wu Zhi, feeling weak in the knees, panicked, "Which way is east?!"

Luckily, by the time he was babbling, Zhou Fangfang had mustered some strength and dragged him to run.

Though confident, Xi Yu didn’t want to stay and fight. He even climbed along the stone wall and jumped across, stepping on one of the ants, breaking its head, and then throwing its rotten body towards its companions. He entered the western entrance as he provoked them.

The ants panicked for a moment, then increased their speed and charged towards him.Fortunately, Xi Yu timed it perfectly. Just as he stealthily entered the new path, the maze happened to rotate the intersection closed, and the hard stone instantly crushed the ants that had crawled through.

Xi Yu casually brushed his hair out of his eyes.

Although he had narrowly escaped danger, unfortunately, he missed the correct direction and got separated from his teammates. He would have to wait another three minutes for the circle to rotate back before he could continue.

While Xi Yu was waiting for the right moment, Wu Zhi and Zhou Fangfang, panting heavily, had already reached the center of the maze.

Just as the system had said, a faintly glowing treasure chest was placed on the ground.

Zhou Fangfang happily approached and opened it, revealing three beautiful round crystals inside. She couldn't help but cheer, "This must be the treasure predicted by the fortune-telling earlier! We can score points! Let's take Xi Yu's too!"

Wu Zhi, looking worried, didn’t have time to respond before someone rushed into the central area.

It was Zhao Zhusheng, who had abandoned them earlier.

Zhao Zhusheng glanced around, then smiled after observing the situation: "This reward isn’t that hard to get."

Wu Zhi immediately stood in front: "It's ours!"

"Oh? Isn’t there exactly three? You’re not willing to share?" Zhao Zhusheng stepped toward him without fear.

"No… but I want to save one for Xi Yu!" Wu Zhi insisted. "He saved us earlier."

Zhao Zhusheng laughed loudly: "Then you two can give it to him. What does it have to do with me? I got here with my own abilities."

Wu Zhi and Zhou Fangfang exchanged a conflicted glance.

"So, it seems like you two aren't that close after all," Zhao Zhusheng said with more sarcasm, then suddenly grabbed Zhou Fangfang. "And honestly, I think it would be better if I take it all for myself!"

"Get away!" Wu Zhi immediately turned hostile and lunged at him.

But Zhao Zhusheng was incredibly strong and kicked him to the ground with one blow.

Just as the situation was escalating, Xi Yu finally arrived, his voice cold as he asked, "What’s going on? You want to fight?"

Zhao Zhusheng said, "The fortune-telling card this morning was very clear—whoever can grab the unexpected fortune, grabs it. I want to win. What's wrong with that?"

"Although you’re not wrong, you may not be able to grab it," Xi Yu replied without fear, walking directly toward him, his calm eyes, as still as a lake, staring coldly at him.Zhao Zhusheng remained silent for a moment, not acting rashly, but instead gave a silent, mocking laugh.

Unexpectedly, Xi Yu spoke up again: "Actually, I wasn't planning to take this thing. There are exactly three. You can choose to resolve it peacefully with them."

"Xi Yu, how about I give mine to you..." Wu Zhi suggested quietly.

Xi Yu replied, "I’m not sure what the consequences of taking it are, so I’d rather not. If you don’t want it, just leave it here."

Zhao Zhusheng couldn't suppress his mocking mood: "You don’t have to play the saint, right? Didn’t you win by winning people over earlier?"

Xi Yu ignored him, turning to wait nearby.

The remaining three stood in a stalemate for a moment, and finally, one of them picked up a crystal and carefully tucked it into their pocket.

Half an hour later, the maze activity returned to calm.

Xu Lei, exhausted, walked over, hands on her hips, and complained, "What are you guys doing? There could have been fire ants during the day! If something had happened, I wouldn’t have been able to explain to your families."

"Sorry, tour guide," Zhao Zhusheng said, waving the crystal in front of her, "But we found something good."

Xu Lei was immediately happy. "Hey? This is a unique mineral from the Wasteland City, really valuable. I knew it wouldn't be for nothing, right? Little sister, you got one too, didn’t you?"

"Yeah." Zhou Fangfang, already tired from all the intense activity, bent down and tapped her thigh. "So, is the maze tour over? Can we go back now?"

Xu Lei nodded. "Sure, it’s been half a day, and the journey isn’t short. We can go back, take a shower, and eat."

She then reminded Zhou Fangfang, "Hurry up and pack the mineral, it’s enough for you to buy a bunch of little skirts."

Zhou Fangfang hesitated for a moment, then sneakily stuffed the crystal into her bra.

The tour guide couldn’t stop sneaking laughs.

Xi Yu didn’t pay attention to their childish behavior, but instead felt uneasy about the unusually "normal" crystals that had appeared. His sharp brows furrowed slightly.

The guesthouse still smelled of mold mixed with dampness, and the owner, unable to sell any products, was napping at the counter just like yesterday.

Since the dinner wasn’t worth looking forward to, the four people, with their legs about to break, went straight to their rooms.

Xi Yu quickly washed off the annoying sweat, then began rummaging around the guesthouse, trying to find more rules. As for Qian Lu, who had been idle all day, he didn’t expect much from her. Someone as emotionally fragile as her was the most annoying type—useless and selfish. Even if Qian Lu stumbled upon the rule metal plate by some miracle, she probably wouldn’t share it, unlike Zhou Fangfang who would actually bring it out.The players' bedrooms were all tightly shut, and the corridor was empty, with no trace of any rules to be found.

Xi Yu thought for a moment and then decided to walk toward the staff living area near the living room.

Lily, who was guarding the door, immediately woke up and stopped him. "Hey, handsome, guests aren't allowed in there."

"I'm bored, can't I take a look around?" Xi Yu asked. "Or do you have to stop me no matter what?"

Lily hesitated for a moment. "It's not as serious as you say, it's just that I don’t understand what there is to see... Just don't touch the staff's personal belongings, or they'll get angry."

Xi Yu agreed. "Got it."

Just then, Ah Lan, who had been absent all day, ran up from downstairs, cheerfully opened the staff passage, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Lily shook her head. "This kid... I don't know what Qing Yi is thinking. She should have kept him in Wasteland City instead of bringing him here to this remote place."

After speaking, she yawned and went back to sleep, ignoring Xi Yu.

If the players' rooms were very humble, then the staff living area could only be described as fatal.

Inside the wooden door, it was a complete mess. The floor was covered with dirty water, and there were moldy, overturned old furniture and garbage everywhere—completely unbearable to look at.

Xi Yu, who liked cleanliness, frowned as he walked through, discovering staff lounges with nameplates on them, but unfortunately, they were all locked, and players weren't allowed to enter at the moment.

Apart from that, the only places left to explore were the warehouse and kitchen.

Xi Yu peeked for a moment at Brother Wang's murderous cooking techniques through the door, then smiled and walked in. "Need any help?"

Brother Wang didn't even look up. "No need, it'll be ready soon."

Xi Yu really didn’t want to eat, so he asked, "Can I take a look around here?"

"What's there to see? I washed all the vegetables clean," Brother Wang said, his tone a bit resistant.

Xi Yu ignored his imposing figure and the knife in his hand, slowly beginning to rummage through things.

Brother Wang gripped the knife tightly and shot a fierce glance at his back for a moment, then finally used all his strength to chop the vegetables with a "bang-bang" sound.

Although this Moonrise Guesthouse had quite a black-market feel, so far, the relationship between the players and NPCs was still relatively harmonious.Xi Yu stopped getting distracted and, without minding the filth, moved all the vegetables and spice bottles. Eventually, he pried out the second metal piece from the rotting pool pipe. He immediately rinsed it clean and saw the demon pattern and text on it.

【Those in Wasteland City have no right to refuse the game.】

What does this mean?

After receiving the new rule, Xi Yu wasn’t enlightened at all; instead, he felt even more confused.

Just as he was lost in thought, Wu Zhi's panicked voice echoed in the corridor. "Brother! Oh no, oh no! The crystal you gave me is gone!"

Xi Yu snapped back to reality, quickly walking out in surprise. "What did you say?"